The new BMW sub-brand - i - Enthusiast, ask yourself, "Should I even care?"

The new BMW sub-brand - i - Enthusiast, ask yourself, "Should I even care?"

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The new BMW sub-brand - i - Enthusiast, ask yourself, "Should I even care?"

Here is the new BMW " i " sub-brand. BMW continues to bring the brand downscale with their new all electric front wheel drive cars. The first car is the i3 which is also known as the "megacity" vehicle. This car is a lightweight all electric. The second vehicle in the lineup will be a plug in hybrid which BMW touts as a sporty hybrid. What does this mean for the enthusiasts? It means BMW is shifting focus which may be at our expense.

The i3:

The first car in the lineup is the i3 megacity vehicle as stated. Most of the description by BMW is a lot of self-serving promotional material filled with things like "LifeDrive" structure, new functionalities, assistance systems, relaxing atmosphere, and electromobility. We can summarize the entire piece simply as this: A cheap front wheel drive electric car designed for city use. That is what this is.

The engine is a 100 kw electric motor which is about 135 horsepower. Certainly not bad and more than enough power for a lightweight car designed around city use. It will spin to 12,000 rpm which certainly is not difficult to do with an electric motor. The accelerator also allows engine braking which stores energy from deceleration. BMW claims the size of the motor is "two drinks crates" (no, seriously, that is what they wrote) which depending on the size of the drinks is likely a small crate.

Will this vehicle be remotely exciting? No, but it allows BMW to pat themselves on the back and appease the greenies who seem to be running things somehow. There is hope with the i8 though.

The i8:

This is the vehicle that gives us some hope as this is supposed to be the Vision Efficient dynamics concept we have all seen. Development is nowhere near as far along as the i3 from what we see on the site but we are optimistic BMW can do something interesting with this. We also hope it is going to be a proper RWD. This car is a plug in hybrid which means it will generate more than the 135 horsepower of the i3. How much more? It depends on what engine they use. If they stick a small turbo motor in there something exciting and eco-friendly might be brewing. It is also planned to be a 4-seater but at the rumors of over $150k this isn't really realistic for most people.

Ultimately, this i brand does not mean much to us. These are going to be entry level electric cars for the most part simply designed for people to commute. There is no "Ultimate Driving Machine" about them which has been an aspect missing from BMW for a while now anyway. We wouldn't even be surprised for BMW to stick an M badge on the back of these. They could call it the iM, short for, Instant Money.

I would love to drive this thing down to guatemala to discover new people and interact with new cultures. I am sure being as they love nature and ecology they would appreciate the electric BMW, don't you think?